HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso - CC - 054-2015RESOLUTION NO. 54-2015
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURLINGAME
DECLARING THAT A WATER SHORTAGE CONDITION EXISTS, AND
IMPLEMENTING WATER RESTRICTIONS IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE
REGULATIONS
WHEREAS, over the past year, the Governor has taken unprecedented actions to target
reduction of water use within the state; and
WHEREAS, On May 5, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
adopted emergency regulations requiring an immediate 25 percent reduction in overall potable
urban water use statewide in accordance with Gov. Jerry Brown's April 1, 2015 Executive
Order; and
WHEREAS, based on per capita water consumption and current level of conservation
efforts, a 16 percent water use reduction standard relative to the established base year
consumption is set for the City of Burlingame; and
WHEREAS, the SWRCB shows that Burlingame is already conserving approximately
17% of water use compared to the baseline consumption period in 2013.
WHEREAS, a summary of new requirements is as follows:
• The conservation savings for all urban water suppliers (serving more than 3,000
connections) are allocated across eight tiers of increasing levels of residential gallons
per capita per day (R-GPCD) water use to reduce water use by 25 percent statewide
and will take effect June 1, 2015.
• Smaller water suppliers (serving fewer than 3,000 connections) must either reduce
water use by 25 percent, or restrict outdoor irrigation to no more than two days per
week. These smaller urban suppliers, that collectively serve less than 10 percent of
Californians, must submit a report on December 15, 2015 to demonstrate compliance.
• Commercial, Industrial and Institutional properties that are not served by a water
supplier (or are self -supplied, such as by a groundwater well) also must either reduce
water use by 25 percent or restrict outdoor irrigation to no more than two days per
week. No reporting is required but these properties must maintain documentation of
their water use and practices.
The new prohibitions in
WHEREAS, local
water agencies are
allowed to determine the most cost effective and
locally
appropriate way to
achieve their water
use reduction standard; and
WHEREAS, based on per capita water consumption and current level of conservation
efforts, a 16 percent water use reduction standard relative to the established base year
consumption is set for the City of Burlingame; and
WHEREAS, the SWRCB shows that Burlingame is already conserving approximately
17% of water use compared to the baseline consumption period in 2013.
WHEREAS, a summary of new requirements is as follows:
• The conservation savings for all urban water suppliers (serving more than 3,000
connections) are allocated across eight tiers of increasing levels of residential gallons
per capita per day (R-GPCD) water use to reduce water use by 25 percent statewide
and will take effect June 1, 2015.
• Smaller water suppliers (serving fewer than 3,000 connections) must either reduce
water use by 25 percent, or restrict outdoor irrigation to no more than two days per
week. These smaller urban suppliers, that collectively serve less than 10 percent of
Californians, must submit a report on December 15, 2015 to demonstrate compliance.
• Commercial, Industrial and Institutional properties that are not served by a water
supplier (or are self -supplied, such as by a groundwater well) also must either reduce
water use by 25 percent or restrict outdoor irrigation to no more than two days per
week. No reporting is required but these properties must maintain documentation of
their water use and practices.
The new prohibitions in
the Executive
Order apply
to all Californians and will
take
effect immediately upon
approval of the
regulation by
the Office of Administrative
Law.
These include:
o Irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians; and
o Irrigation with potable water outside of newly constructed homes and buildings not
in accordance with emergency regulations or other requirements established by
the Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and
Community Development.
• The above requirements are in addition to the existing restrictions that prohibit:
o Using potable water to wash sidewalks and driveways;
o Allowing runoff when irrigating with potable water;
o Using hoses with no automatic shutoff nozzles to wash cars;
o Using potable water in decorative water features that do not recirculate the
water;
o Irrigating outdoors during and within 48 hours following measurable rainfall;
and
o Restaurants serving water to their customers unless the customer requests it.
Additionally, hotels and motels must offer their guests the option to not have their
linens and towels laundered daily and prominently display this option in each guest
room: and
WHEREAS, Stage 3 of City of Burlingame Water Shortage Contingency Plan, adopted
as part of the City's 2011 Urban Water Management Plan, contains a majority of the
conservation steps contained in the SWRCB regulations; and
WHEREAS, per the requirements of Chapter 15.06 of the Burlingame Municipal Code,
and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan, a declaration by the City Council of a "water
shortage condition" is required to formally authorize staff to implement some of these measures;
and
WHEREAS, to fully comply with State regulations, a portion of Stage 3 of the City's
Water Shortage Contingency Plan will need to be implemented; and
WHEREAS, the following components of the Water Short
age Contingency Plan along
with State mandated restrictions and prohibitions go beyond what is mandated by the State:
• Water waste, flooding, or runoff into the street or gutters is prohibited;
• Hoses cannot be used to clean hard surface areas, including but not limited to
sidewalks, driveways, roofs, and awnings;
• Hoses used for vehicle or building washing must have positive shutoff valves;
• Irrigation with potable water is prohibited between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.;
• No irrigation shall be permitted on any day other than Monday and Thursday. It is
recognized that providing specific maximum irrigation time limitations for various types of
landscaping is difficult, however it is recommended that the maximum timing for irrigating
lawns be limited to no more than 15 minutes per station. This provision does not apply
to City Parks and facilities. However, the City Parks and facilities shall be managed to
reduce the overall water use by 20% compared to the baseline period in 2013. This will
allow staff to selectively manage irrigation to maintain high public use facilities and
reduce water to other facilities as required. This provision also does not apply to hand-
held hose watering of vegetation, if the hose is equipped with a positive water shutoff
valve;
• Potable water shall not be used to clean, fill, or maintain levels in outdoor decorative
fountains; interior fountains must recirculate water;
• Businesses must post notification of water shortage conditions in restrooms;
• Hotels must post notification of water shortage conditions in rooms;
• City buildings must post notification of water shortage conditions in restrooms and break
rooms;
• Broken or defective plumbing, sprinklers, or irrigation systems that permit the escape or
leakage of potable water must be repaired within 24 hours of the discovery of the leak or
the system shall be turned off until the repairs are made;
• Irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians is prohibited;
• Irrigation with potable water outside of newly constructed homes and buildings not in
accordance with emergency regulations or other requirements established by the
Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community
Development is prohibited;
• Irrigating outdoors during and within 48 hours following measurable rainfall is prohibited;
and
• Restaurants serving water to customers unless the customer requests it is prohibited;
and
WHEREAS, the State has authorized issuing fines of up to $500 per violation of these
restrictions, and
WHEREAS, the City's Municipal Code Chapter 1 authorizes the issuance of fines, which
will be issued incrementally at $100, $200 and $500 in the event of violations continuing after
multiple warnings and repeated violation notices.
NOW, THEREFORE, be it RESOLVED, and it is hereby ORDERED, that the City
Council of the City of Burlingame hereby declare that a water shortage condition exists in
accordance with Section 15.06 of the Burlingame Municipal Code; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council hereby adopts water use restrictions
consistent with State regulations, the Municipal Code, and components of Stage 3 of the City's
Water Shortage Contingency Plan as set forth above; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that City staff is authorized to interpret and implement the
provisions of this resolution, including enforcement of violations of the restrictions listed here
through the provisions of Chapter 1 of the Municipal Code,
Mayor
I, MARY ELLEN KEARNEY, City Clerk of the City of Burlingame, do hereby certify that
the foregoing Resolution was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the
18'" day of May, 2015, and was adopted thereafter by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Brownrigg, Keighran, Nagel, Ortiz, Root
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
City Clerk